Clare's superb performance in beating Cork in last Sunday's Munster hurling semi-final in Thurles may yet be tarnished somewhat if, as seems likely, the team mentors are called before the Games Administration Committee (GAC) in Croke Park or the Munster Council, or both.

The Clare team which lined out last Sunday showed two significant changes from the side announced early in the week. Brian Quinn was brought in at corner back for Michael O'Halloran and Alan Markham came in at left corner forward for Conor Clancy. O'Halloran and Clancy were named in the team announced on Tuesday and were not informed until Sunday morning that they were not playing.

Team manager Ger Loughnane said after Sunday's match that the two young players were being protected from media attention in the build-up to the match. "The team was announced on Tuesday night but we told the players to ignore what appeared in the papers and that we'd tell them the actual team on Sunday morning," Loughnane said.

As things worked out there was a considerable resistance to information about the composition of the team until the very last minute as they took the field. This caused considerable difficulty for media reporters, particularly those in broadcasting. Radio and television commentators must do considerable pre-match preparation to recognise players instantly during a match. The speed of the game and the fact that players wear helmets makes this even more problematical in hurling.

The supporters who bought the match programme were also misled, with the names of O'Halloran and Clancy appearing in the line-out while Quinn and Markham were included among the substitutes. This deliberate hoodwinking of the public and the media is frowned upon by the GAA authorities.

Counties were instructed to announce teams on Tuesday at the latest to facilitate the media and the production of match programmes. This instruction is followed more in the breach than the observance throughout the GAA, but deliberate wrong information is a serious matter.

It is impossible to preview a match accurately and thoroughly when a false team is announced.

It is understood that the matter will be on the agenda for the next meetings of the GAC and of the Munster Council and could lead to a hefty fine. The administrative bodies are reported to be particularly annoyed because a sideline ban on Loughnane for encroaching on the pitch was lifted in the run-up to the match.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the GAA has said that "the association has no apologies to make to anyone for its policy and rules protecting Irish jobs and Irish industry".

This follows a report that the GAA's rules may be in conflict with European law in regard to the use of sportswear and equipment. "We are quite happy that our policy and rules will stand up to any scrutiny in this matter. The rule has been in the rule book for more than 100 years," the spokesman said.